This is a weblog related to community activities going on in Brighton, MA, one of the neighborhoods of Boston. Ours is a large and diverse community including many long-term residents, recent immigrants, and students attending the local universities.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Greg Glennon Responds to the Crowdsourced A-B City Council Candidate Questionnaire

Allston-Brighton District 9 City Council Candidate Greg Glennon responds to the crowdsourced questionnaire at the Brighton Centered Blog:

What could the city do about noisy parties, illegal parking (both on front lawns and streets), and tenant occupancy code issues, either by enforcing existing ordinances, increasing or changing penalties, or passing new ones?

Response: I support "district-based" inspectors from Inspectional Services that work out of District Police Stations so reponse times to complaints can be more timely and effective. I also support significant increases to the civil penalties for code violations. These increases are essential if citations for code violations are going to have their intended deterrent effect.

What will be your first three steps as the new A-B City Councilor to improve the infrastructure of Allston/Brighton?

Response: Infrastructure improvements will come with improved city services and better access to city government. Residents of Boston should not have to go to City Hall to conduct much of their City business. I will support increased use of City buildings in Allston-Brighton for appealing parking tickets, obtaining resident permit stickers, and other "headaches" which seem to cost people much of, if not an entire day. More neighborhood-based services is essential to improving infrastructure.

Also, I will work with City departments to address any concern that may arise related to City Services such as street cleaning, street light repairs, street paving, and the like. I have already been processing such requests as I go around the neighborhood and learn about the concerns of individual residents. I will be vigilant in addressing these types of issues and concerns.

Another important infrastructure improvement I will work for is an improvement to the traffic problem. It is important to think outside the box on this. Getting through Brighton Center at certain times of the day is virtually impossible without an extended wait. And it's usually quite backed up, even at what we would consider non-peak times for traffic. I will work with my fellow city councilors and the Mayor's Office to improve conditions for travel by bicycle and lobby the MBTA for service improvements in Allston-Brighton. It is also imperative that traffic impact in Allston be mitigated by Harvard if development goes forward on the science complex on Western Avenue.

I will also call for the issuance of current resident permit parking stickers. It is unacceptable that Allston-Brighton resident permit stickers have not been issued. We have now passed moving day in Allston-Brighton, September 1st. Many who have moved out of the community will undoubtedly take advantage of a sticker that should be invalid by parking their cars here for the work day or other uses that takes parking spaces away from residents.

What are the specific steps you will take in order to implement the needs of the community related to institutional expansion (Harvard, BC)?

Response: I will be an aggressive advocate in dealing with Harvard and Boston College on behalf of the neighborhood. I look forward to working with residents, members of the respective task forces, and other interested parties, as well as other local elected officials to find common ground on key issues that gives rise to a "united neighborhood front" that can have an effect on making sure that the most important concerns of the community are advocated for as effectively as possible.

Do you support the goal that BC build dormitories for their juniors on the main campus and therefore eliminate undergraduate student rentals on neighborhood streets? If so, what steps would you take to accomplish this?

Response: I support efforts by Boston College to expand student housing on campus but will not support undergraduate housing on the Brighton campus. This would have a serious negative impact on the quality of life for abutters and the neighborhood as a whole. Boston College has many lands that can be used in different areas of its campus and other lands it owns that would accomodate a "full" level of on-campus undergraduate housing.

What measures do you propose for improving the appearance of Allston-Brighton, particularly related to trash, street-cleaning, and graffiti?

Response: Please see my answer to question #1 above.

While City Councilor, do you intend to work a second job, run a business, stand for another office, or leave for another job before your term expires?

Response: If elected as City Councilor, I will resign from my position as an Assistant District Attorney for Suffolk County, not work any second job or seek any additional income, and I will serve a full two-year term.

What are your plans to improve the Allston-Brighton school system without overhauling the whole Boston school system?

Response: An overhaul of the school assignment system is part and parcel of what I believe is necessary for long-term improvements to the Boston Public Schools. That means a return to the neighborhood school model. I also support more charter schools, and school vouchers for parents who choose to send their child to an accredited private or parochial school.